Students perform comedy musical
By Holly Neumann
Iola-Scandinavia High School will present “The Music Man.”
Performances are set for 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, April 6-7, and 2 p.m. Sunday, April 8.
Tickets are $7 and may be purchased from 3:30-4:30 p.m. in the high school commons or by emailing [email protected].
The show follows a traveling salesman Harold Hill, played by Bryce Huettner, as he cons the citizens of River City, Iowa into believing their town is in serious trouble.
He quickly crosses paths with Marian Paroo, played by Natalie Rustad, the librarian and piano teacher in town. Marian is onto his tricks.
Both Huettner and Rustad admit getting into character is not always easy.
“Harold fancies himself as a ladies man,” Huettner said. “I consider myself and Harold similar in that aspect. Both of us are not shy. But other than that, Harold is not exactly my personality.”
“Marian Paroo is the exact opposite of me, and it’s not only because I can’t play piano,” Rustad said. “Our personalities are completely different. She’s quite shy and reserved. I am very outgoing and extroverted.”
“Being around everyone, singing and laughing and having a lot of fun,” Huettner said. “It’s a great group activity.”
Rustad enjoys the connections she is making with other cast members and how they can spread that magic to the people who watch them.
“It’s my last year in a musical, and I’m so thankful I have the opportunity to be in it with some of my best friends,” she said. “Whether we’re laughing about messing up a line, missing a dance move or hearing our voices cracking, it’s always been the best time with them.”
The production is under the direction of Chelsea Liesch and Linda Trepasso.
“One of the things I really love about being involved in the musical is seeing the students get a chance to get out of their comfort zones to try things they wouldn’t normally do,” Liesch said. “It’s one thing to know students in a classroom setting, but this type of extracurricular helps them expand their horizon in ways that many of them didn’t even know were possible.”
She loves seeing students grow into their roles and put work into making a production of which they are proud.
“This year’s show has every type of song you could hope for in a classic musical. From love songs to get up and dance songs, they will be stuck in your head for days afterward,” she said. “The really exciting thing about ‘The Music Man’ compared to other shows we have done is that it includes a lot of dancing, which some students have not really experienced before.”
Adding to the excitement of the show will be the pit, under the direction of Jacob Martin.
A total of 10 musicians will perform 43 of the most challenging pieces they will see all year.
“I am really excited to see a pit in this year’s musical,” said Martin. “A live pit seems to move both performers and listeners more than the recording. It’s remarkable that such an experience of live music affects the performers.”
According to Liesch, this show is a classic many people have not seen before.
“The students have gotten the chance to put their own spin on characters from the early 1900s,” she said. “It really highlights how talented our students are in many different ways.”
Other cast members include Jessa Boris, Keygan Singh, Brittney Tuszke, Wes Jones, Keith Fenn, Noah Olson, Quinn Hoyord, Megan Jones, Austyn Longman, Kayla Sidman, Erik Grenlie, Collin Davids, Cam Boris, Anthony Thiel, Brooke Bonikowske, Kira Petersen, Liv Schustek, Bekah Stubinski, Kenna Vomberg, Kate Ziepke, Jack Krause, Xander Schremser, Liz Enoch, Will Meier, Mia Brier, Alexis Gilliard, Isaiah Hoyord, Brock Opperman, Nate Sullivan, Tara Thompson, Collin McNamara, Hannah Adserias, Luke Maggio, Jessie Johnson, Hayden Nelson, Mike Hicks, Faith Stubinski, Cierra Snyder, Holly Saunders, Kari Schwartz, Adam Cherek, John Faldet, Tracy Ecklund and Davin Schwartz.